1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to cutting methods and equipment, particularly for use in slicing food product. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus equipped with a cutting device having a substantially horizontal cutting plane, wherein the apparatus delivers stabilized food product to the cutting device and electric power to the cutting device is prevented unless the cutting device is properly installed on the apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/072,494 and 10/250,113 disclose methods and apparatuses for delivering food product to a horizontal cutting wheel, by which the product is properly oriented and stabilized to produce a sliced product of uniform thickness. The horizontal cutting wheel is contained within an enclosure that defines a chute from whose lower end the sliced food product exits the apparatus. The enclosure is supported by a frame that houses the electrical wiring to a motor within the enclosure for driving the cutting wheel. Feed tubes are mounted generally perpendicular to the cutting wheel, and each feed tube is sized such that products (e.g., round and/or elongate potatoes) are fed single-file to the cutting wheel.
Each feed tube is preferably equipped with means, preferably multiple water jets discharged by nozzles mounted in a wall of the tube. According to Ser. No. 10/072,494, the nozzles are preferably arranged in pairs so that jets discharged therefrom intersect near the wall of the feed tube opposite the nozzles, while Ser. No. 10/250,113 allows the jets to impact the surface of the cutting wheel. In each case, the nozzles are adjusted to direct the jets in a downward incline toward the cutting wheel to assist in stabilizing the product and assist in feeding the product downward through the tubes.
According to Ser. No. 10/250,113, smooth (unsplined) feed tubes reduce jamming of the product. Smooth feed tubes may have a smooth tapered flare to trap and center round potatoes against the cutting wheel. The opening of the tube may be asymmetrical as a result of the flare being formed on less than the entire diameter of the tube. Alternatively, smooth feed tubes may have a stepped (ribbed) tapered flare. According to an optional aspect of Ser. No. 10/250,113, product can be stabilized by equipping the feed tubes with splines. Splined feed tubes may have an unflared opening, a smooth tapered flare, or a stepped (ribbed) tapered flare.
Ser. No. 10/250,113 also discloses mounting the cutting wheel in a manner that does not require tools for replacement. The cutting wheel is trapped between an upper housing and a wheel support within a lower housing, whereby the upper and lower housings together define an enclosure for the cutting wheel. The upper housing is raised and lowered relative to the lower housing with a crank mounted to the frame, with the force required to hold the cutting wheel in place being applied by the upper housing through operation of the crank.
While the apparatuses disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/072,494 and 10/250,113 make possible the vertical feeding of round and elongate food products to a horizontal cutting wheel to produce a sliced product of uniform thickness, further improvements are still desirable.